Amdocs, a leading software and service provider to communications and media companies, has bought an Ireland based Digital BSS company, Openet, that provides charging, policy and data solutions. Two years after their heated legal dispute, the telecom software company Amdocs has ended the litigation by finally licensing a number of Openet patents. As the telecommunications sector has been trending towards digital transformation for some time now, the merger between the two companies will provide exceptional and wide-ranging opportunities for both enterprises. In recent years, the Ireland-based company, Openet, developed modern cloud-based software and 5G products that are recognised around the world for their innovation. The amalgamation of the two companies is said to offer Amdocs‘s customers advances in 5G technologies, cloud, edge computing and Internet of Things (IoT), as well as an elevated customer experience, policy and data management expertise. Shuky Sheffer, CEO of Amdocs Management, commented:…
Vyopta Introduces Support for Microsoft Teams On Tuesday, Vyopta, a provider of Unified Communications (UC) monitoring and analytics solutions, announced the release of their comprehensive support for Microsoft’s cloud-based UC products including Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams Rooms, Microsoft Teams and Surface Hub. Vyopta is one of the first companies to provide monitoring and analysis services to Microsoft Teams, helping to speed up the deployment of the Microsoft Teams software, simplify troubleshooting and reporting, and improving the service quality of Microsoft’s voice and video calling experience. In the near future, Vyopta will continue to expand its monitoring capabilities, including more advanced and proactive Microsoft Teams alerts. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y3r396fh Telecom Argentina hit by a major ransomware attack One of Argentina‘s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) has suffered a serious ransomware attack. The cybercriminals who carried out the attack, demanded $7.5 million in Monero cryptocurrency from the ISP to regain…
ClearlyIP, a global provider of cloud and VoIP business telephony solutions, has acquired all the telecom assets of the Vancouver-based Telrad Technology Group Ltd, a privately-held company that has been serving the telecom needs of small and medium-sized businesses across Canada and the United States for more than 40 years. This acquisition will enable ClearlyIP to expand its cloud services business, and focus its resources on developing innovative solutions backed with best-in-class customer service. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin (US), ClearlyIP said that they will continue to support and maintain Telrad’s cloud and voice business solutions. Furthermore, ClearlyIP is also acquiring the entire Telrad team, adding an office in Vancouver, British Columbia, to ensure a seamless transition for customers and distribution partners. According to Tony Lewis, CEO of ClearlyIP, the company is implementing its strategy to increase organic growth through targeted acquisitions that will further expand the scale and resources required by…
Qualcomm invests $97 million in India’s Reliance Jio Platforms Qualcomm has become the latest high ranking sponsor of the four-year-old Indian company, Reliance Jio Platforms. On Sunday evening, Qualcomm Ventures revealed their plans to invest $97 million in Reliance Jio Platforms and to assist that company launch advanced 5G infrastructure and services for their local customers. Furthermore, Reliance Jio Platforms has introduced cut-rate voice and data plans into the Indian telecommunications market, attracting almost 400 million subscribers. This rapid growth has resulted in the company becoming the most successful operator in the world’s second largest market in less than four years since its establishment. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y9hponyd Deutsche Telekom explores quantum tech with OPENQKD The German operator Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with the OPENQKD (Open European Quantum Key Distribution) consortium, are preparing to research quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies in order to develop quantum-safe data transmission. In spite of the…
The Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has selected Nokia’s CloudBand-based software products to power its Voice over LTE (VoLTE) network. Nokia stated that this network supports more than 110 million customers, making it the largest cloud-based VoLTE network in India and the world’s largest VoLTE service managed by Nokia. According to the Finnish telecom gear maker, the deployment of cloud-based VoLTE will enable Airtel to provide its mobile customers with faster, more reliable and cost-effective call connectivity. Nokia’s solution, which has been deployed to cover all 22 telecom service areas in India, uses commercial, off-the-shelf IT hardware with cloud-based Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). Nokia noted that cloud-native VNFs consume far less power and space compared to traditional 2G or 3G circuit-switched legacy cores. With Nokia’s VoLTE platform, Airtel will be able to reduce its 3G network traffic and use the freed-up spectrum to deploy 4G / LTE services for higher speeds…
European telcos: We’re ready to “lift the continent out of this recession” The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) has released a joint statement calling on EU institutions and national governments to support 5G and fiber rollout, stimulate the uptake of technology, fight misinformation, and focus on digital skills and education. According to ETNO, a new approach is needed to ensure that spectrum auctions are timely and conditions for spectrum assignment support network deployment. Sharing agreements for Radio Access Network (RAN) should be supported and incentivized, as well as all fiber investment models should be adequately encouraged. Moreover, future EU initiatives should dramatically reduce roll-out costs for both mobile and fixed networks. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yadrfxfg Microsoft’s new Teams features fight video conferencing fatigue Microsoft Team’s brand seeks to fight “Zoom fatigue” and exhaustion of physical isolation with its new updates and features. The news includes a shared background to make participants…
Australia to invest a record A$1.35bn in cybersecurity The Australian government has announced an AUS USD 1.35 billion program to combat the rise in cybersecurity threats that have intensified in recent months. This initiative, named the Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response (CESAR) package, will seek to identify more threats, fight foreign cybercriminals and build stronger partnerships within the industry. The nation’s largest ever investment in cybersecurity will supercharge the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “My government’s record investment in our nation’s cyber security will help ensure we have the tools and capabilities we need to fight back and keep Australians safe.” Read more at https://tinyurl.com/ya8q3xsl India has banned TikTok, WeChat, and other China-based apps The Indian government has banned 59 Chinese-made apps, including TikTok and WeChat, over concerns that “they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty…
The Apiary Capital portfolio company Conn3ct, a provider of unified communications, contact center and global network service solutions, has acquired ICR Speech Solutions and Services Limited (ICR), a highly specialized speech application development company involved in interactive voice response (IVR) and next-generation speech bot technology. Conn3ct said that this acquisition is a major event in the company’s strategy, and adds important skills and intellectual property to IVR, which is essential for delivering an optimum call center customer experience. According to a statement, this partnership with ICR will enable Conn3ct to offer a fully automated caller experience, where complex queries are quickly identified and routed to a live agent. IVR is a critical contact center technology that provides the initial response to the calling customers before they reach an agent. Substantial advances in technology and the introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning have driven IVR from basic call management to…
Ujet raises $55 million to expand cloud-based customer support platform Ujet, a leading provider of cloud contact center software, has secured USD 55 million in Series C funding to expand its sales and marketing teams at home and internationally, as well as launch new products and features. The San Francisco-based company already claims to have several high-profile clients, including Google, Instacart, and PayPal’s iZettle. Ujet enables customers to contact support teams through voice, email and messaging, and integrates smartphone cameras so they can easily submit photos and videos documenting problems. With this funding, the company is now well-positioned to capitalize on the increased demand for cloud-based contact center technology. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y8ayek29 UK security officials tell telcos to stock up on Huawei gear – report The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has suggested that UK telecoms operators stockpile critical equipment to ensure the sustainability of telecoms infrastructure, as political…
Salt Security raises $20 million to protect APIs with AI US-based Salt Security, a cybersecurity startup that helps companies protect APIs, has closed a USD 20 million Series A round. The company plans to use the new capital to renew its investments in product development and expand its sales and marketing teams. Salt’s platform aims to prevent cyber attacks with a combination of AI and machine learning techniques. It analyzes a copy of the traffic from web, software-as-a-service, mobile, microservice, and the Internet of Things (IoT) app APIs. Salt uses this process to understand each API and creates the basis for normal behavior tailored to customers and their applications. After that, Salt reveals anomalies that are identified as indicators of an attack during reconnaissance. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y88n2l7r Lenovo delivers world’s first 5G laptop with Verizon, EE, Sunrise and CMCC Lenovo, one of the world’s leading personal technology companies producing innovative PCs and mobile…


